The community is invited to attend a special event on January 28th at Framingham State University entitled “Inspiring the Future: 30 Years Since Challenger,” celebrating the legacy of the Space Shuttle Challenger Crew.

30th Anniversary: FSU to Host Special Event Celebrating the Legacy of the Space Shuttle Challenger Crew

Jan 13, 2016

The community is invited to attend a special event on January 28th at Framingham State University entitled “Inspiring the Future: 30 Years Since Challenger,” celebrating the legacy of the Space Shuttle Challenger Crew.

On January 28th, 1986, the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing its seven member crew, including Framingham State Alumna Christa Corrigan McAuliffe ’70, the First Teacher in Space. The tragedy inspired the creation of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, an organization with over 40 Challenger Learning Centers across the country, including one at Framingham State’s Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center. The legacy of the crew lives on through the thousands of children each year who are inspired to pursue science and engineering during visits to the centers.

Framingham State will celebrate that legacy during an event on Thursday, Jan. 28th, featuring a keynote address from NASA Astronaut Catherine “Cady” Coleman, a UMass Amherst alumna and veteran of two space shuttle missions and one to the International Space Station.

“The first time I visited the Challenger Learning Center at Framingham State and saw the expressions on the students’ faces as they were transformed into astronauts, scientists and engineers, I understood the wonderful legacy of Christa McAuliffe and the entire Challenger Crew,” says FSU President Javier Cevallos. “The center makes science come alive for students and leaves them with an experience they won’t soon forget.”

The speaking program will kick off at 5 p.m. in Dwight Hall Performing Arts Center and will be hosted by FSU McAuliffe Center Director Irene Porro. The program will include remarks from Massachusetts Secretary of Education Jim Peyser and Tess Caswell, a PhD candidate at Brown University who is currently pursuing her dream of flying in space. Longtime Framingham State McAuliffe Center Director Mary Liscombe, who retired in 2013, will talk about the history of the challenger center.

This special anniversary event is free and open to the community, but tickets are required. Tickets and information about parking on the FSU campus can be found at christa.org/30th.

About Framingham State University

Framingham State University was founded in 1839 as the nation’s first public university for the education of teachers. Since that time, it has evolved into a vibrant, comprehensive liberal arts institution offering small, personalized classes on a beautiful New England campus. Today, the University enrolls more than 6,000 students with 58 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences and professional fields. As a State College and University (SCU), Framingham State prides itself on quality academic programs, affordability, and commitment to access for all qualified students.